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Creating a Vacation Planning File for an Organized Vacation

Getting ready for a summer vacation is an exciting time, but it can also be stressful because there is often so much to do! With the amount of preparation that needs to be done, we almost need a vacation to get ready for the vacation!

One of the best ways to get ready for a vacation is to create a vacation planning file as early as possible. Inside your vacation planning file will be everything you may need to refer to, before you travel, and during your vacation. Typical contents will include, packing lists, travel and itinerary info, accommodation info, maps, important documents and much more.

If you have a family member with health issues, make sure you have pertinent information handy, including a list of all medications and the location of the nearest urgent care center or hospital at your destination.

Keep your vacation planning file in a convenient place, so that it will be quick and easy to add vacation related papers. Here’s a list of supplies needed to create your vacation planning file:

3-Ring binder: Select a 2” binder with a clear overlay so that you can insert your own custom cover.

3 hole paper punch: Keep one handy, so that you don’t procrastinate adding papers that need be 3 hole punched prior to filing.

Tabbed dividers: Keep your papers organized by using tabbed dividers with labeled inserts. Or, create an organized binder with numbered tabbed dividers, like the one pictured above from Avery.

If you get too busy to do your paper filing and end up with a backlog of travel related papers, create a “To File” folder, just for your vacation file and don’t mix it with any other papers. Keep this file nearby to collect your vacation related papers until you have a few minutes to file them away.

Your new and organized vacation file will be the perfect place to file all of those papers that have been sitting in a pile on the kitchen counters, or in a variety of places around the house. You will no longer feel guilty for collecting sightseeing information, travel guides, local amenities, and things to do during your vacation, because you’ll finally have a proper organizational system that you can use year after year. Another nice thing about having a vacation planning file is, next year, you won’t have to duplicate some of the standard information you need for every vacation – you’ll just need to update and purge.

About Jacquie

Jacquie Ross is a professional organizer, a Certified Life and Family Coach and award winning owner of CastAway the Clutter! A busy person's expert, Jacquie works with professionals, seniors, empty nesters and families to develop strategies to reach their goals, identify any road blocks, and find more meaning in their lives. Learn more about Jacquie’s life coaching and parent/youth/family coaching here at the CastAway the Clutter Blog, and for organizing services, visit CastAway the Clutter! Jacquie can also be found on Facebook